Anastasian Wall
Anastasius Suru |alternate_name = Long Walls of Thrace |image = Anastasiusmauer Verlauf.jpg |imagealttext = |caption = German map showing the course of the wall |map_type = Turkey |map_alt = |map_size = 270 |latd = 41 |latm = 12 |lats = 0 |latNS = N |longd = 28 |longm = 20 |longs = 0 |longEW = E |coordinates_display = title |location = Istanbul, Istanbul Province, Turkey |region = Thrace |type = Defensive wall |part_of = |length = |width = |area = |height = |builder = |material = |built = |abandoned = |epochs = Early Medieval |cultures = |dependency_of = Constantinople |occupants = |event = |excavations = |archaeologists = |condition = |ownership = |management = |public_access = |website = |notes = }} The Anastasian Wall ( , ) or the Long Walls of Thrace (Greek: Μακρά Τείχη της Θράκης, Turkish: Uzun Duvar) is an ancient, stone and turf fortification located west of Istanbul, Turkey built by the Byzantines during the late 5th century. Originally some long, it stretches from Evcik İskelesi in Çatalca at the Black Sea coast across the Thracian peninsula to the coast of the Sea of Marmara at west of Silivri (ancient Selymbria). It ran from north to south through the locations what are today Karacaköy, Gümüşpınar, Pınarca, Kurfallı, Fener, Alipaşa Neighborhood and Silivri Altınorak. Remains of the wall are visible in Gümüşpınar junction in Karacaköy, Hisartepe in Yalıköy, Pınarca in İhsaniye and Kurfallı village. The wall was part of an additional outer defense system for Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and probably continued in use until the 7th century. The wall was named after the Emperor Anastasius I (r. 491–518). However, there is evidence that the fortification already existed in 469 during the reign of Leo I (r. 457-474) and in 478 in the era of Zeno (r. 476–491), and it was maintained and renewed by Anastasius in the time from 507 to 512. The wall had a thickness of and a height over . It was built complete with towers, gates, forts, ditches and a military way to protect Constantinople from invasions from the west by Huns, Slavs and Bulgars. A rectangular castrum with dimensions of by existed also in the central section of the wall. It is known that the wall had only a limited effectiveness, and the barbarians penetrated it many times, because the fortification's length made it difficult to defend the wall completely by a limited garrison, and also because the wall was not sufficiently strong due to its construction in haste. The wall fell into ruin after it was abandoned in the 7th century because of the difficulty of keeping it manned and repaired. Over the centuries, the stone of more than half of the total length was reused in other local buildings. It is best preserved in the woodlands of the northern sector. The Anastasian Wall is an almost unknown example of monumental linear fortification dating from antiquity in continental Europe, next only to Hadrian's Wall (122 AD) in England in its complexity. See also *Walls of Constantinople *List of walls Bibliography * * * References External links *Anastasian Wall research project of the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK Category:Archaeological sites in the Marmara Region Category:Buildings and structures in Istanbul Category:Walls Category:Ruins in Turkey Category:Byzantine military architecture Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 5th century Category:Thrace Category:Byzantine architecture in Turkey Category:Silivri Category:Çatalca